Mr Coe: I ask whether the minister is being tedious and repetitious. He has harped on about the same point for the last eight minutes.

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Mr Barr, what I am saying is: will you please confine yourself to the actual motion or the amendment to the motion at the moment. Thank you.

MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. I am speaking to the amendment which is calling for a bipartisan position and asking for a public statement—

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Excuse me, Mr Barr. You have repeated yourself a number of times now, three or four times. Please stick to the point.

MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. The amendment that I am speaking to is calling for a bipartisan position and the issuing of a public statement which unequivocally condemns the proposed cuts to NICTA as a short-sighted measure that will slow productivity growth and cost jobs in our economy. And that should not be too big an ask, given everything that has been put on the public record.

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Ms Burch, thank you. I was about to talk to Mr Hanson. Mr Hanson, would you please withdraw that.

Mr Hanson: I withdraw, Mr Assistant Speaker.

MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER: Thank you and let us allow Mr Barr to continue his narrative.

MR BARR: Thank you, Mr Assistant Speaker. You know you are getting under their skin when you illicit a response like that. It was very unparliamentary and not appropriate behaviour from an alternative chief minister. Telling people to shut up is entirely unparliamentary, and I am pleased that you called him to order and he has withdrawn, because it is not the sort of behaviour you would expect from the Leader of the Opposition.

He has a chance in a moment to make a clear statement about his view on the federal Liberals' cuts to NICTA. I hope he makes the right statement and we can have a bipartisan approach condemning this short-sighted move from the federal Liberal government.